2025 MAMA: ENHYPEN praise HYBE's Bang Si Hyuk while accepting award; 'What a load of crap,' exclaim fans

G Dragon reacts with thumbs down on MAMAs post

ENHYPEN found themselves at the center of heated debate following their acceptance speech at the 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMAs).

On November 27, the HYBE boy group made history by winning the Visa Fans’ Choice Award, one of the evening’s coveted Daesangs (Grand Prizes). With this achievement, ENHYPEN became the only fourth-generation boy group to secure a Daesang at MAMAs, marking a major milestone in their career.

As the members stepped onstage to receive their award, emotions were visibly high. Leader Jungwon delivered a heartfelt speech thanking ENGENEs and reflecting on how much the recognition meant to them. One clip from the telecast quickly spread online, showing him saying, “I think this is really the first time in my life, even after debuting, that I’ve truly wished for something this much. ENGENES, thank you so much. I can’t fully express it in words, but I’m really…”

However, it was another part of Jungwon’s speech that stirred intense reactions. While expressing gratitude to the team supporting ENHYPEN, he went on to mention HYBE founder Bang Si Hyuk, “Producer Bang Si Hyuk, Kim Tae Ho, thank you for treating us not as products or business assets, but for respecting us as individual human beings, and for always guiding us toward becoming good people.”

The remark immediately ignited strong criticism across Korean community sites and social media platforms. Many netizens argued that this phrasing felt scripted. They called it a strategic move by HYBE to rehabilitate Bang Si Hyuk’s image amid recent controversies affecting the company and its subsidiaries.

“This is exactly why I find HYBE so annoying,” wrote a fan. “Who made him say that?” questioned another.

Also Read: Enhypen break down in tears as they win Artist of the Year at 2025 MAMA Awards

“What a load of crap,” remarked a fan. “I just feel bad for the other idols who were evaluated like products in HYBE’s documents,” remarked another.

One fan wrote, “It’s so irritating. This is the company that used to take shots at other idols, and now they’re like, ‘We don’t do that to ours.’ Yeah, like that’s going to sound convincing.”

Many commenters expressed sympathy for the members, suggesting the statement may not have been entirely voluntary. Others highlighted the irony of praising the company’s humane treatment while HYBE has faced public scrutiny over leaked documents evaluating artists as “product-like assets.”